Am I the only one who wonders why the young Army sergeant from Fort Lewis, accused of killing Afghan civilians just last year, is already on trial, while Major Hasan, the “alleged” shooter at the Fort Hood massacre several years ago continues to await his trial as the Army ponders over his supposed religion-dictated facial hair?

The major may be “out of uniform” with the facial hair. So add that to the list of charges and press on, what's the big deal? Too bad the sergeant doesn't have the same defense team.

Steve Spear

Relocating

Re: “Lone Star Whining” and “A proposition,” Your Turn, Dec. 2:

Nancy Lay-King, a self proclaimed liberal Democrat, said she returned to Texas after a 25-year absence to find Texans were the whiniest kids on the block, and that Texas has more big-mouthed idiots than most states. I have a cure for her problem with Texans. Go back to whichever progressive, socialist state she had been living in. Then she won't have to listen to Texas “big-mouth idiots.” And while I'm at it, I will solve Grady Stewart's problem with Gov. Perry and Texas politics. He says he will chip in $500 to help relocate conservatives to a distant island if they promise not to return and $1,000 if they will take Gov. Perry with them. I will go him one better. It would take about six hours to raise the money to send these letter-writers to California, New York or New Jersey, where I'm sure they would live happily ever after.

Mr. Pimentel, you are getting closer to the elephant in the room. The reality is that Texas politicians do no not care about public education. They, in fact, want to destroy public education and bring in charter schools. Look at all of the un-funded mandates Texas has passed. Look at all the charter schools coming into Texas. This has been going on for years, but nobody has paid attention or had the nerve to stand up and say this is not right.

Texans will do anything Rick Perry says. Remember a few years ago when Perry headed a special session to look at the Robin Hood funding and instead of coming up with a solution, those at the session voted themselves a raise? Nobody said anything.

Teachers are underpaid in Texas and always have been. Funding per student is way under what it should be. Texas is letting public education be destroyed, and it is unfathomable. If you want more businesses to come into Texas, you must have an educated workforce, but Texas doesn't seem to understand that. Cheating children out of an education and chance for a future is inhumane. There is a lot of whining about Democrats currently in power, but at least the Democrats support public education.